Otitis media is an ear infection affecting millions of children worldwide. Not yet fully developed, a child’s ear canal is virtually straight, lending to easy passage for invading bacteria.

For years, children have been given antibiotics for this condition. Recent research of seven trials comparing antibiotic therapy to placebos in otitis media revealed little evidence to support that children given antibiotics had a shorter duration or less recurrence of the problem.

In fact, more evidence has been published to show that antibiotics are not only ineffective in treating the problem, they can also pose dangers.

Gross overuse of antibiotics has given rise to a breed of “superbacteria” which are entirely resistant to antibiotics. Now there is evidence that one of these superbacteria – the penicillinresistant Streptococcus pneumonia (PRSP) – is actually causing otitis media in young children.

Unfortunately, since an estimated $3-4 billion is spent every year for medication and surgery to treat ear infections in our young, it is unlikely that the medical and drug industries will support alternative care possibilities.

SOURCE: Health Watch, Vol. 2, No. 6, as reported in “Antimicrobials for acute otitis media: A review from the
International Primary Care Network,” British Medical Journal, July 5, 1997 & “Penicillin-Resistant Streptococcus
Pneumonia found in chronic otitis media with effusion,” American Academy of Otolaryngology, Sept. 2, 1997.